Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas went out of his way to hail Aaron Lennon and Gylfi Sigurdsson for their contributions towards his side's dramatic rise to fourth place in the Premier League.

Wojciech Szczesny today urged Arsenal supporters not to give up on their team after admitting the Gunners were "battered" by Swansea.

Jamie Mackie has warned some of the bigger stars at Queens Park Rangers their reputations count for nothing in the battle to beat the drop.

Steve Sidwell has called on Fulham to make a positive response after seeing his side fall from sixth to 13th in the table following a run of seven games without a win.

Andrea Pirlo is adamant Juventus and Shakhtar will not set out to play for a draw on Wednesday night to ensure they both progress to the Champions League knockout stages at Chelsea's expense.

EVENING TIMES

Neil Lennon has warned Celtic's players and fans against being lulled into a false sense of security by Spartak Moscow's ongoing problems.

Charles Green insisted Rangers won't "play ball" over league reconstruction as he took another swipe at a "busted flush" Scottish Premier League.

THE SCOTSMAN

Hibs manager Pat Fenlon insisted last night that his team's victory against Hearts should not be regarded as revenge for their 5-1 humiliation in the Scottish Cup final in May.

Celtic forward Miku is heading towards the exit door at Parkhead after reports that the striker is unsettled at the club - despite only being at the club for three months.

FULHAM CHRONICLE

Martin Jol concedes that Tottenham's first goal killed his side's spirit as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat.

Martin Jol admits he is lukewarm about the prospect of being re-united with Darren Bent at Craven Cottage - and once again dismissed suggestions he might be keen on signing David Beckham.

Chelsea face at least another game, possibly two, without desperately-needed captain John Terry.

Rafael Benitez says he has found life at Chelsea much harder than he was expecting.

Benitez is ready to throw Marko Marin into the fray as he searches for his first win as Chelsea boss.

MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS

Manchester United's derby double disaster last season cost the Reds the Premier League title says Darren Fletcher and the midfielder is warning it can't happen again.

Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted that Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho could be the man to replace him at Manchester United.

Maicon believes Manchester City will be kings of Europe one day, despite their struggles over the past two seasons.

LIVERPOOL ECHO

Andy Carroll will remain at West Ham - despite the Liverpool striker facing up to eight weeks out with a knee injury.

Joe Allen has hailed the return of Lucas Leiva as a major boost to Liverpool's hopes of securing Champions League qualification this season.

Tim Howard believes he is capable of pushing himself just as hard as any under-study could as he bids to help Everton into the top four.

NEWCASTLE CHRONICLE

Alan Pardew today insisted that Newcastle United need the Toon Army "more than ever" ahead of their crucial clash with Wigan Athletic

Demba Ba is likely to be going nowhere in January - because the overall package to lure him away from Newcastle is proving "too expensive" for interested suitors, while the player himself has once again insisted he wants to stay at St James' Park.

Martin O'Neill is preparing to spend in the January sales as he looks to strengthen his midfield following the loss of Lee Cattermole to a knee injury.

THE JOURNAL

Alan Pardew believes Papiss Cisse's Newcastle United career is ripe for a renaissance after his "re-energised" performance at Stoke.

Alan Pardew has the support of the boardroom as he faces down the hardest period of his time at St James' Park.

SUNDERLAND ECHO

Patient Connor Wickham is eager to prove his Premier League credentials after his longest first-team run-out since January.

Sunderland admit knee-injury victim Lee Cattermole faces an extended period on the sidelines, while the club are also anxiously awaiting the result of scans on the injured ankle of leading scorer Steven Fletcher.

Craig Gardner admits Sunderland's actions need to speak louder than their words after a third defeat in five kept the Black Cats precariously perched above the relegation zone.

NORTHERN ECHO

Tony Mowbray admits Middlesbrough have missed Jonathan Woodgate's defensive reliability in recent matches, but concedes the centre-half's appearance record is not something that is going to radically improve in the remainder of the season.

BIRMINGHAM MAIL

Lee Clark believes Birmingham still have a chance of promotion this season as long as they can keep leading scorer Marlon King fit.

Paul Lambert has called Brett Holman one of the club's great leaders following a fine run of form lately.

West Brom's hopes of keeping Romelu Lukaku have been given a boost after Rafa Benitez cast doubt over a potential January recall.

Readers' Comments

I

t's wrong to be making a joke out of Bender's name at the expense of gay people. It's the kind of childish, uncivilised thing that Football365 would deride and ridicule if it was another media outlet saying. Why is there a need for jokes like this? Does it make your writers feel like men? F365 might suggest that I 'lighten up', but it is genuinely traumatic for people who have been oppressed all their lives to be the butt of jokes, and to be told...

ou can't blame De Gea for wanting to leave, he has enough to do in front of goal as it is as well as taking on the role of Man Utd's version of Derek Acorah in trying to contact and organise a defence that isn't there.